Baby Waits for no Rumpel
by Mellkat86
Summary: Belle is seven months pregnant. Gideon's stag do is due to happen that weekend and Rumpel doesn't want to attend but Belle persuades him to go. (This is a sequel to 'Locked and Alone', 'The Strength of Love' and 'Old Habits Die Hard') (Many Storybrooke characters)
1. Chapter 1

The summer heat had hit Storybrooke and Rumpel was making the most of it as he lay on a blanket on the front lawn, bare chested with his sunglasses on. It was nice to have a small break from all the baby madness. Lilly had been kind enough to take Belle out shopping for more items for the nursery, giving Rumpel an afternoon off in the sun. He did not indulge in such things normally, but the chance to lay back and do nothing was just so appealing. With all the chores he ahd been issued done around the house, he had been lounging there for a good hour.

His shirt and waistcoat cushioned his head in the cradle of his hands, enjoying the heat on his skin. He pondered why he had never done this in the Enchanted Forest. One of the towers of his Dark Castle would have been perfect for this self-indulgence.

The cool breeze blew through Rumpel's locks, ruffling his hair over his forehead. He drew a hand from behind his head and stroked the hair out of his face, and then shoved the hand back under the clothing under his head. Belle had made it known that she was not keen for him to grow his hair out. She liked his hair short, saying it made him look more handsome and younger. He had just simply shrugged it off, not bothered. After hundreds of years having it long, it did not matter to him. It was hair.

A car pulled into the driveway with loud music playing, the two women laughing as the car squeaked to a halt. Angling his head so he could see the car, the two women exited and went to the back of it to get the bags from the trunk. Rumpel watched as Belle smiled at Lilly pulling out a large bag from the trunk. He could not get over how beautiful she looked, her hair shining in the afternoon sun with her hand protectively lingering around her large bump.

Lilly shut the trunk whilst Belle made a start towards the path, suddenly she noticed Rumpel on the front lawn. "What're you doing?"

"Lying here." He retorted, thinking how obvious it looked.

"Have you finished painting the nursery?" Belle began to list off his jobs as she walked up the path. "Did you build the crib in the nursery and in our room? Have you cleaned the kitchen?"

Rumpel dropped his head back onto his makeshift cushion of clothes. "Yes, yes and yes, sweetheart."

"You haven't built the changing table!" She yelled from the porch, entering the house with Lilly.

"What?" He sat up, which made his hair swish forward and partly covered his forehead. "What changing table? You didn't ask me to build a changing table."

Lilly descended the steps. "The one she bought this morning."

Rumpel frowned behind his glasses and looked at Lilly as she went back to the car. "Really, dearie?"

"Yep." She replied giving him a rueful smile and opened the trunk to the car again. Groaning and cursing his wife under his breath, he got to his feet and slipped his black shoes on. Rumpel sauntered over to where Lilly was waiting for him and looked into the trunk to see another box. It was an endless assembly line. Build this, make this, put this together. He pursed his lips at the box, considering his options: carry the box inside and build it, magic the box inside and build it himself or magic it inside and build it with magic.

Opting for option three, Rumpel waved his hand and the box was gone, as he shouted at the house. "Built it!"

Lilly giggled closing the trunk and followed him up and into the house. He pushed his sunglasses up onto the top of his head, dragging his scraggly hair off his face, and ambled into the kitchen to see Belle pulling things out of bags. Rumpel wore a small smile as he leant against the counter, seeing her gush over a small baby grow. It was amazing what this world had to offer in their baby range.

In the Enchanted Forest, it had been the basic of needs: a moses basket and a blanket. In this world, they had so many contraptions it was a wonder that the child were not artificially grown to full size adults. He had loved the baby grows with 'Me + Mummy = Broke Daddy', or 'Sorry ladies, my daddy is definitely taken'. The latter was bought by Ruby, jibing Belle about thinking Ruby and Rumpel had been having an affair. At the least the two could laugh about it now, it had taken a few lunches and girlie nights to get them back to best friends.

"Are you listening to me?" Belle was standing in front of him, holding a pile of clothes towards him.

"Sorry, Belle." He said scratching at the back of his head, more embarrassed he had zoned out.

"I said," She shoved the clothes into his bare chest. "Take these upstairs and put them in the draw with the others."

Rumpel kissed her sweetly on the forehead. "Yes, your majesty."

She swatted at his behind as he walked pass her and climbed the stairs to the landing. The fresh paint was still lingering in the air when he entered the bedroom directly across from their own. The yellow paint had brightened the room, bouncing the light around the room instead of being absorbed by the dark red that he had favoured for many years. All the furniture was positioned away from the walls and the newly built changing table sat in the middle of everything. Rumpel smirked at it as he pulled the draw open on the chest of draws and carefully laid the tiny clothes in with the other clothes in the draw.

Closing the draw, Rumpel's gaze wandered around the room, still unable to believe that he was going to be a father again. It had been a miracle that Belle had become pregnant with Gideon. He had thought it was impossible before, seeing how the other women he had been with, as the Dark One, had never become pregnant. Being pregnant a second time, told him that it was because of their love. Their true love for one another.

He shoved his hands into his pockets and sauntered out of the nursery, grinning to himself as he quickly negotiated the stairs. There were voices coming from the patio. Guessing that Belle and Lilly had taken up residence on the patio, he crossed to the fridge and retrieved a beer from the fridge. He twisted the lid off stepping out onto the patio and swigged at the beer greedily. As Rumpel pulled a chair out from the patio table and sat down, he flicked his sunglasses back down over his eyes and placed his beer on the table.

"I wish you would cut your hair." Belle stated with her fingers stroking his hair back behind his ear.

Rumpel bent his head to look at her over his sunglasses, his hair swept forward over his forehead. "Am I not handsome anymore?"

"That's the problem. You're too bloody handsome like that." She told him, rolling her eyes at him as a blush crept over her cheeks.

"Well, then sweetheart," He picked his beer up from the table, looking very smug at seeing her blush. "I guess it'll have to stay."

"Anyway…" Lilly drew their attention to her. "Gideon's stag do is tomorrow."

"Ah, yes. A young man's last night out on the prowl with his pack." Rumpel said after taking a drink from his beer.

Belle glared at him. "Prowl with his pack? What are you guys going to be doing?"

"How would I know?" He shrugged her look away.

"As far as Gideon knows, they're going to the Rabbit Hole and then you guys are going off for the weekend camping." Lilly informed Belle, her hand clasping Belle's hand reassuringly.

Rumpel poked his sunglasses further up his noise. "Yeah, I'm not sure if I'm going camping."

"Why not?" Belle asked, rubbing at her bump subconsciously.

"Because," He turned in his chair to lay his hand over hers that was rubbing her stomach. "I want to be here in case something happens or you need me. I can't leave you."

"Rumpel, you haven't left my side for months. You need some you time as well." Belle touched his face as she spoke. Closing his eyes, he leant his head into her hand, touched that even in her condition she was thinking about his needs. Milah had never thought about him. She had not even extended the courtesy to send him a letter to tell him he was going to be a father. Instead, he had to find out from a seer, which was probably what had started him onto the path of being the Dark One.

"I could stay here this weekend, if that would put your mind at rest." Lilly suggested, interrupting Rumpel from his thoughts.

He smiled at her. "I couldn't ask you to do that. This is my responsibility. I won't leave them."

"Rumpel," Belle said, letting her hand fall from his face to his bare chest. "You are going. Nothing is going to happen. They're not due for another two months."

"Gideon hadn't been due for six months and look what happened." His voice cracked with the guilt he felt as he spoke.

"That was not your fault." Belle told him, leaning towards him to place her other hand on his knee.

Lilly raised an eyebrow. "I thought you said it kind of was his fault."

"Err…" Belle shot a glance to Lilly.

"It was my fault!" Rumpel exclaimed snatching the bottle of beer from the table to drink from it.

"It doesn't matter whose fault it was!" Belle voice became stern as she spoke to him. "It happened! It's done!" Rumpel was sure she was working on her 'mummy' voice. He was ready to bolt up the stairs to his room and stay there for the rest of the day. The look he saw on Lilly's face was probably a mirror of his own. He had noticed the voice had been coming out more and more, but Rumpel had put it down to her hormones as Dr Whale explained.

Taking a deep breath, Belle calmed herself. "You are going on the camping trip and Lilly is going to spend the weekend with me."

"Okay…" He said slowly, not wanting the voice to come back out. And there was him, thinking he could put on the darkess voice in the household. However, he had always thought that if Belle ever became the Dark One, not that he would let that happen to her, she would be darker than him. Her temper was worse than his at times.


	2. Chapter 2

The clock ticking down echoed in the shop. Rumpel was not looking forward to closing time, as it would mean he would have to go home and get ready for a night out with his son and the Charmings. Belle was insistent that he would be going out with the boys and ordered to blow off some steam. The idea of going out with the boys was the least stimulating idea anyone had ever suggested. He was two hundred and eight four years old. The idea of kicking back with the boys and chasing tail had never interested him. Even as a young man, he had been too respectful to proposition a drunken maiden or too scared to try.

Rumpel's idea of a good night was sitting in front of the fire with his spinner. It was probably why Milah had tired of him. The beginning was always the best part in a relationship. The high of something new. Milah had loved that she had gotten one over her parents, rebelling against them by marrying the man they had forbidden for her to marry. Using him more of tool. There was no foundation for love to grow and not even having Baelfire had helped.

Glancing over his shoulder to check the time, he groaned seeing it was nearly six o'clock in the afternoon. They were supposed to be meeting at the Rabbit Hole at seven o'clock, it was time to go home and get ready. Grumbling to himself, he began to turn off lights and locked the rear door to the shop. He parted the curtains to go into the front of the shop as the bell rung above the door of the shop. Rumpel stopped midway through the gap, holding the curtains aside, to see Zelena enter with Robin on her hip.

"Ah! Rumpel!" Zelena greeted, letting the door close behind her. Rumpel stood still. He did not want to speak to her. For two years, he managed to avoid her and kept himself to himself where she was concerned. Now, she had the audacity to walk into his shop.

She came to a stop in the middle of the shop to say. "I need your help, Dark One."

"I'm not interested in helping you." He told her, encouraging himself to carry on locking up the shop by reaching for the light switches.

"Oh, come on, Rumpel." Zelena smiled at him, shifting Robin further up her hip. "For old times' sake."

"Old times sake?" He growled pausing midstride as he went to walk pass her.

"We spent so much time together in the past and of course, that special year we were together." She said, her free hand laid onto his chest, trying to be intimate.

Looking at her hand on his chest, he swatted it away before saying. "If you, dare, touch me again, I will do unthinkable things to you."

"Ooo… Sounds like someone isn't get much action in the bedroom!" Zelena jested, talking to Robin. Pursing his lips in annoyance, Rumpel marched to the shop door and yanked it open, sending the bell into a fit. She looked at him where he stood by the open door and then slowly ambled her way to the door.

"I guess we're not welcome, Robin, Uncle Rumpel has other plans." She told her child as she left the shop. Slamming the door shut behind her, Rumpel leaned against the door to stop her coming back and supported his own weight. The idea of being near that woman made him terrify, his skin crawled under her touch. A year of torment from a woman he had once called a pupil. He had never taught her how to do that, even he never subjected his prisoners to the acts she had performed on him.

Taking in a deep breath to chase the memories away, Rumpel reopened the door and retrieved his keys from his pocket to lock the door. He sauntered over to his car, glancing over his shoulder to see Zelena and her child making their way down the street towards Grannies. As long as she kept going in the opposite direction, it made the pain in his chest ease. He climbed into his car and made the short journey home.

Rumpel let out a long sigh, as he pulled into the driveway, happy to be home where no trouble could follow him. He got out of the car and jumped up the steps two at a time to get to the porch, desperate to get to the sanctuary of his home. Before he even opened the front door, he could hear the excited voices inside, which brought a smile to his face. He opened the door and slipped inside, closing the door quietly behind him.

"Gideon, honestly, you can't allow them to do that to your father!" Belle protested at something in the kitchen.

Gideon chuckled as he replied. "I never said I was going to let them do it."

"He really won't appreciated it." Lilly added, fighting her fit of giggles.

Frowning at the snippet of conversation he heard, Rumpel stood at the edge of the kitchen area. "Won't appreciate what?"

They all jumped at his voice. Belle was the first to get her composure. "There's talk of instead of tying you to a lamppost when they get you drunk."

"Tie me to a lamppost?" Rumpel said, shrugging off his suit jacket to lay over the back of an armchair in the sitting area next to the kitchen.

"It's a custom of this realm to make mockery of the groom on his stag do." Lilly informed Rumpel, watching him take a seat in the armchair to remove his shoes. "They do silly pranks on him, such as getting him drunk and tying him to a lamppost."

"I'm not the groom." Rumpel looked puzzled as he pulled his socks off to discard to the floor.

"If you remember, Rumpel, you didn't have a stag do." Belle said waddling around the kitchen counter to sit on the couch end nearest Rumpel.

Rumpel shook his head, leaning back into the armchair. "Well, I'm glad I didn't if this is their custom."

Gideon sat onto the arm of Rumpel's chair. "Oh, come on, father. It'll be a good laugh."

"No, son," Rumpel started as he stood up to go to the kitchen counter, laying out the contents of his pockets, before making his way towards the stairs. "A good laugh would be turning you all into snails."

"That just sounds… icky." Gideon said, allowing himself to fall off the arm into the chair sideways. Rolling his eyes, Rumpel climbed the stairs quickly and entered their bedroom, waving his hand to close the door behind him. He entered the bathroom and turned on the shower.

Rumpel quickly removed his tie and unbuttoned some buttons of his shirt to pull up and over his head, catching sight of himself in the mirror as he tossed the shirt to the floor. He flicked some of his hair about. The face he saw in the mirror reminded him too much of the man he used to be, the coward who had allowed his son to go to another realm. It was nowhere near, as long as it used to be. Only about three inches long, but it was enough of a distant reminder. A reminder that he had seen that day in his shop when he had decided to chop his hair. With that in mind, Rumpel dug into the cabinet under the sink and pulled out a pair of scissors.

In minutes, his hair was gone, back to its short length, back to the strong man that had put his beloved and family first. Checking it in the mirror, he was happy with his handy work, clicking his fingers to clean up the mess on the floor. A renewed feeling swept over him as he stepped under the shower. The feelings Zelena had reminded him of, were washed away down the drain as well. She was always going to be a sick reminder of the torture she had put him through.

Drying himself off, he wrapped his towel around his waist and went into the bedroom. He stood in front of the wardrobe and picked out the dark blue jeans that Belle had told he looked sexy in and one of his white shirts she liked as well. Rumpel dressed swiftly, dowsing himself in some aftershave and then moseyed down the stairs. As he stepped off the last step, he finished buttoning his cuffs, heading back to the armchair.

"Wow!" Lilly exclaimed, watching him cross over to the armchair that Gideon was occupying.

Rumpel stopped to look at her, as he bent over to pick up his shoes. "What?"

"You… You look great!" She said. Belle and Lilly sat staring at him. Gideon was frowning looking between the two women and Rumpel. Disregarding them with a shrug, Rumpel took his shoes to the opposing armchair and put his shoes back on, checking the time with the clock over the fireplace.

"What time are we meeting? Seven?" Rumpel asked the room.

"Yeah." Gideon said, watching his fiancée and his mother stare at Rumpel. "Though, David, Hook and Henry have texted to say they're already there."

"Well, I'm ready then. I can eat there." Rumpel said getting out of his chair to cross to the kitchen counter.

As he put his phone, keys and money into his jean's pockets, a pair of hands glided over his sides and then his stomach, her whisper barely audible. "Maybe you should stay home?"

Baffled, he turned in her arms to confront Belle. "Eh? You told me to go."

"Yeah," Belle told forcing him into the counter to press against him, or as much as she could with a watermelon between them. "That was before you cut your hair, wore those jeans and smelt so heavenly."

"Oh, we like do we?" Rumpel asked, wrapping his arms around her.

"I more than like, but I think I would embarrass our company if I told you what I wanted to do with you." Belle said suggestively, leaning up to whisper into his ear. Taking advantage of her closeness, Rumpel moved his arms to clasp her face gently and kissed her lips. She melted against him, her fingers clutching at his shirt to support herself.

"Will you put my mother down and come on?" Gideon said impatiently. They broke their kiss smiling and rested their foreheads against one another. After a couple of seconds, Rumpel kissed her quickly on the cheek and left her standing by the counter, following Gideon out of the front door.

Rumpel pulled his keys out of his pocket whilst he opened the door to his car. He caught sight of Belle on the porch before he climbed into the car. She smiled at him and waved. Unable to help himself, he waved and smiled before ducking into the car.

"You're so whipped." Gideon stated to his father, closing his car door.

Raising an eyebrow at his son, Rumpel asked. "Whipped?"

"You're under mother's thumb." Gideon said, trying to explain but carried on explaining with the eyebrow still raised on his father's face. "You do whatever mother tells you to do."

Rumpel allowed himself to smile at his son's comment and started the car, pulling the gear lever into reverse as he said. "You will learn, son, that if you keep them happy, they'll do whatever you want."

"I don't see her doing a lot of what you want." Gideon snickered as Rumpel reversed out of the drive into the road.

"Son," Rumpel paused changing the gear into drive. "You're not with us twenty four hours." Leaving Gideon to think about what he said, Rumpel drove off into town and pulled up into the Rabbit Hole parking lot. As he turned off the car, Rumpel caught the look on his son's face and laughed at the disgust. No child wants to have images of their parents doing things. Especially things that their children had secretly forbidden their parents from doing.


	3. Chapter 3

They had seized a table in one of the dark corners of the Rabbit Hole. Rumpel was happy with the selection, as many people in the bar were oblivious to his presence. He knew it would ruin the mood of everyone, as they would be watching over their shoulders in case he was nearby. Sat in the corner, Rumpel nursed his beer between his hands on the table, watching Hook and Henry at the bar, chatting to some women that were from Camelot and had remained behind in Storybrooke. Charming sat beside Rumpel, watching the exchange as well.

Finishing the last of his beer, Rumpel placed the empty bottle near the middle of the table. He sat back into his chair as Henry and Hook sat down at the table, a small disagreement going on between them.

"Look, mate, I think that those Camelot women are wired differently." Hook explained, taking a seat besides Charming. "That line always worked before."

"Line? Hey girls, would you like a ride on my Jolly Roger?" Henry's eyebrows pushed his forehead up. Rumpel could not help the roar of laughter. It amused him to think that Hook had used that chat up line on Milah and that she had fallen for it. If Hook had tried that line on Belle, she would have given him some literature on the fine art of courting, hoping to educate the pirate.

Charming smiled, saying. "Really? You had success with that line?"

"Okay," Hook waved his hook absently through the air. "They may have been a bit more… intoxicated."

"I don't need lines." Rumpel said with a smirk, shaking his head at Hook.

"Really?" Charming said, turning his attention to Rumpel.

"No, it's called conversation." He explained to the table.

"Yes, right, Crocodile. Of course, you can chat to those women, but does not mean you will get their phone numbers. You're too much of a coward." Hook said, but it sounded more of a dare. Rumpel titled his head at the pirate, his eyebrows slightly raised as he assessed whether to let Hook provoke him.

Henry looked over his shoulder and then pointed to the bar. "There you go, Grandpa, those two women are back at the bar."

"What?" Rumpel glanced towards where Henry was pointing. "I'm a married man. I have no interest to go over there and talk to them."

"Even for a deal?" Hook raised an eyebrow at Rumpel. The other occupants of the table knew that the look shared between Rumpel and Hook, was their lifetime feud coming out. It had always been a weakness of Rumpel's, not being able to turn down a deal.

Pursing his lips into a straight line, Rumpel said. "You have nothing of interest to offer me."

"Really?" Hook leant forward onto the table. "How about, if you go over there and get their phone number, I stop calling you crocodile, and if you don't get their phone number, you give me the use of your cabin for a weekend?"

Charming touched Rumpel on his arm. "Don't let him get to you."

"No, it's okay. His terms aren't drastic." Rumpel said as he stood from his seat, offering Hook his left hand to shake. "Shake on it?" Hook glared at Rumpel's left hand and then up at Rumpel. "Oh! I'm so sorry. I forgot." He jibbed offering his right hand. Tightly gripping each other's hands, they shook on their deal as Gideon came over to the table with a round of beers and shots, and a coke. He watched his father excuse himself from the table and walk over to the two girls at the bar, asking the table what was going on.

As Rumpel neared the two women, he put a smile on his face, hoping that they had not heard too much about him. They were both chatting to each other, one of them lazily played with the cocktail stick in their drink as the other ate some peanuts. Standing near them at the bar, Rumpel gestured to the barman for a drink and then leant onto the bar casually. He chanced a glance at the two women beside him and caught the one playing with her drink looking at him. Locking eyes with her, he smiled at her and received one back from the woman. The barman placed a beer in front of Rumpel to which he dropped some dollars on the bar. Taking hold of his drink, he shifted along the bar towards the woman that smiled at him.

"Hi there." Rumpel greeted and leant sideways onto the bar, leaving some space between them.

"Hi." The girl nearest him replied. Her friend was paying no attention to Rumpel.

"I don't think I've seen you two in here before." Rumpel told her, gesturing to the two of them with his hand.

The girl rolled her eyes at Rumpel. "I've heard that line so many times."

"Not a line, just an observation." He said before taking a sip of his beer.

"Your friend was just over here trying to pick us up." She indicated towards Hook. "So I guess it's your turn now."

"Him? He is not my friend. No. He's an ass." Rumpel chuckled at her assumption that Hook was his friend. "Look, err… Sorry, what's your name?"

"Danielle." She answered and sipped from her cocktail.

"Danielle, I simply wanted to have a more intellectual conversation than with those guys. All they want to talk about is sports and cars. Me," Rumpel held his hand over his chest. "I saw you over here and thought she looks interesting."

"Really?" She asked, perked by what he had said.

"Really, dearie." He smiled, shifting closer along the bar.

Danielle smiled at him, a slight blush creeping over her cheeks. "What would you like to talk about?"

"I would rather hear what you would like to talk about, dearie." He said and sipped from his beer to place on the bar near her drink.

"Well… Do you like" She gazed down at her drink in thought and Rumpel took the chance to glance over at the boys, who were all watching intently. "Do you like tapestry?"

"My aunts used to make tapestry when we needed some extra money." He told her, fibbing. "I actually have some for sale in my shop at the moment."

"In your shop! I've been looking for a new piece for my house, but I can't find one I like." She told him turning on the stool towards him.

Rumpel feigned that he was deep in thought, touching a hand to his chin as he scowled at his thoughts. "I think I have some more in my warehouse. How about this, if I get them brought over to my shop and you give me your number, I'll call you and you can come and have a look? And then, while you're deciding, we could go for a drink to discuss" He touched her arm and leant towards her. "About the price?"

"Oh… Okay." Her cheeks reddened at his closeness. "Let me write my number down for you." She said reaching for a napkin and took a pen out of her bag. He smiled at her and watched her write the number. When she had finished, she held the napkin out to him for him to take. Rumpel took hold of her hand and held it steady to place a kiss across her knuckles, gazing up into her eyes. She bit down on her lip and a small sigh of pleasure escape her. He took the napkin slowly from her hand, keeping eye contact with her.

Danielle's friend touched her friend's arm. "Danielle, let's go. I'm bored."

"Okay, Jen." Danielle replied to her friend, her face showed her disappointment. Hoping off her stool, she smiled at Rumpel before following her friend out of the bar. A pause in the doorway for one last look at Rumpel, Danielle left with her friend, Jen. The smug smile on Rumpel's face said it all. He retrieved his beer from the bar and strolled triumphantly over to their table, waving the napkin in the air.

Rumpel leant over Hook and placed the napkin on the table in front of him. "No more crocodile."

"No more crocodile." Hook repeated resentfully. A broader smile pushed at Rumpel's cheeks as he slipped by the back of Gideon's chair to take his seat in the corner. He swigged from his beer, so glad to get one over on Hook.

"I don't think you know anything about women, Hook." Henry said, taking a drink from his coke.

"Hey! I've had many women!" Hook exclaimed to Henry, but caught the glare that Charming was giving him. "But none come close to your mother."

"Grandpa had way more success than you did." Henry gestured towards the bar. "She was blushing at him. She was laughing at you. She so wanted Grandpa." Henry told Hook, making Rumpel snicker.

Gideon cleared his throat. "Can we stop talking about my father like he's Don Juan?"

"You father did supposedly teach him everything he knew, so technically, he is Don Juan." Charming informed Gideon with his bottle of beer held ready to take a drink from as Gideon rolled his eyes at Charming.

"Hello, boys!" The voice broke the humorous atmosphere of the table. Rumpel glared at the woman that stood between Henry and Hook, her hands resting on either ones shoulder. Zelena appeared pleased with their reactions, smiling wickedly as her eyes came to rest on Rumpel sat across from her.

"That was quite a display, Rumpel. Chatting to that young girl and getting her number." Zelena said to him. "I hope Belle doesn't find out. She might not be happy about that."

"Go and tell her." Rumpel countered, reaching for his shot in front of him.

"You don't think she'll care?" Zelena asked, her face showing her surprise.

Rumpel knocked the shot back in one. "No, she'll probably be furious. But I am not going to make a scene here and I am not going to run home in desperation." He said placing the shot glass into the middle of the table. "I will tell you, that at the end of the day, after my wife has beaten me senseless, that we - will - be sleeping beside each other tonight. Cuddling up. While you… You spend your night alone."

"Remember, Rumpel," She pointed her glare at him. "She may be in your heart, but she doesn't own it." Zelena sneered at him, clenching her hand into a fist.

Grabbing at his chest, Rumpel struggled to take a breath and bent forward onto the table for support. Gideon was instantly at his father's side, his arm over his father's back as he tried to figure out what was wrong with Rumpel. Looking up at Zelena from Rumpel, Gideon saw the joy on her face at his father's pain and without thinking flung his hand in her direction, sending her flying backwards into the bar. Knocked off her feet and distracted, Rumpel was able to sit up and took a deep exaggerated breath, his hand held over his heart.

"Whoa!" Charming jumped up out of his seat.

Zelena climbed to her feet and straightened her clothes and hair. "Baby Rumpel wants to play!"

"Zelena!" Charming shouted at her. "If you don't leave, then I will be forced to put you in jail for the night."

"You can't put me in jail! That puny jail couldn't keep me locked up!" She laughed.

"No," Gideon said standing up and drew Zelena to look at him. "But I can!" He waved his hand again and made Zelena disappear. Everyone looked flabbergasted at Gideon.

Charming grabbed Gideon's arm over Rumpel. "What have you done?"

"She's in the jail with an anti-magic cuff on." Gideon informed him, his hand resting on his father's shoulder.

Rumpel took a deep breath, trying to steady himself and calm his heartbeat. It felt like his heart was about to rip itself out of his chest. Slowly as the pain subsided, he allowed his hand to drop down onto the table, cursing the day he had taken Zelena under his wing. He knew that she was unhinged, but thought if he gave her a purpose then she could accomplish his plan for him. When she had showed signs that she was in love with him, then it had ruined everything.

It sickened him to think she still held a torch for him after all this time. When she had his dagger in her possession, she had abused its power and him, controlling him against his will. Making him do things. Making him kiss her. 'Kiss me like I'm Belle' she had commanded. Rumpel had thought he was going to be sick all over her as he kissed her, kissing her sweetly as he would Belle. Zelena had plenty of kicks out of it. He was just glad she had not told him to make love to her. It was bad enough when Rumpel had tried to turn the tables on her, using her lust for him against her. Kissing her neck and running his hands over her body, he wanted to stab himself in the chest again and return to his dark vault in the Enchanted Forest. The only thing that had stopped him was thinking of Belle.

Rumpel took a deep breath and closed his eyes saying. "I'm going home."

"Are you sure?" Gideon asked sitting back down on his seat to be eye level with his father.

"Yes." He patted Gideon's shoulder and handed the car keys over to Gideon. "You stay and enjoy yourself." Before anyone could say anything, Rumpel waved his hand and disappeared. He reappeared in a heap on the floor of his basement and just lay there. The room was dark and just the way he wanted it. He knew at some point that he would have to deal with what that woman had done to him, but for now, he could hide in the darkness.


	4. Chapter 4

The morning rays were slowly trailing their way across the room, chasing the darkness away. Rumpel sat huddled in a corner where the sunlight could not reach, remaining in the comfort of the darkness. Pondering over his life in Storybrooke, he had been thinking about whether it was worth it anymore. 'Was living worth it?' he kept asking himself. It was becoming apparent that no matter how much he behaved and tried to be good, someone was still trying to beat him back down. However, it was becoming tiresome to keep getting back onto his feet and pushing himself forward.

In the last seven years, it had been enemy after enemy. He had spent his life in the Enchanted Forest not plagued by anyone. He had been the one in control. Now, everyone else was in control of his destiny. Telling him how he should behave, what he could and could not do. Life was so much easier as a villain, not answering to anyone's rules.

He was torn between running like the coward he was and living up the expectations of his wife. It was so much easier to run. Escaping into the darkness where feeling hurt never burdened him. The darkness was good at drowning it out. Rumpel knew though, he did not want to return there. He loved his life and what future he knew was coming. However, it did not make it easier fighting the darkness that clawed at his soul, trying to drag him back down and out of the light she brought into his life. The light that his family gave him.

Rumpel's attention perked by hearing faint voices upstairs. It must have been around ten in the morning. He surmised that Gideon must have just come in and was talking to Belle and Lilly upstairs. He hoped that no one knew that he was in the basement. Talking to them was not high on his list. Self-loathing felt more productive.

He heard the front door shut, intrigued Rumpel stood to see out one of the small windows three pair of legs walk off to the driveway. They must have decided to go out looking for him. Taking a long deep breath, Rumpel shuffled across the basement and up the stairs, unbuttoning his shirt. He was going to make the most of his time alone in the house, by showering and changing before they came back.

Turning the corner into the kitchen, Rumpel shrugged off his shirt and pulled his arms out of his sleeves when she spoke. "I told them you were in your man cave. But what does his mother know?"

Rumpel stopped dead, slowly gazing up to see Belle sitting in the armchair in the small sitting area next to the kitchen. He looked away from her, ashamed of the thoughts he had been having all night. The idea of ever leaving her was the furthest from his mind, but the idea of running away from everyone else was at the forefront.

He held the shirt by its collar and shook it before laying it over his arm. "His mother knows too much at times."

"Come and talk to me, Rumpel." She said, gesturing towards the couch end that was nearest to her.

"I don't want to talk." Rumpel told her and began to make his way to the stairs.

"I want you to talk." She said with a small bit of annoyance in her voice.

He scoffed. "We never get what we want in this life, dearie."

"Rumpel," She called, watching him go up the stairs. "Don't push me out!"

"Sweetheart, I have enough to deal with right now." Rumpel paused on the stairs as he spoke, his hand steadying him on the banister. "Just ignore me." He quickly climbed the stairs leaving their conversation. The mood to talk always alluded him and talking never helped. All it did was remind him of the awful things he had done or that someone had done to him. Why anyone would want to talk about things and go through it all a second time?

In temper, Rumpel threw his shirt across their bedroom, hating how he had spoken to Belle. She was his biggest problem. Like she had said, she knew things, knew him too well. There were things he did not want her to know. 'She wouldn't understand' he told himself as he sat down onto his side of their bed.

"Rumpel." She called from the doorway. Rumpel did not answer her, just watched as he played with his wedding ring. He knew she deserved better, she always deserved more than he could give her.

Her hand touched his bare shoulder as she sat down beside him. "Please, talk to me."

He closed his eyes at her plead. "I can't."

"Gideon thinks that Zelena hurt you last night." Belle said, her hand lingering on his shoulder. "But I think she hurt you a long time before last night." Rumpel did not dare say anything. She would not understand.

He felt her hand slid over his shoulders with her weight shifting beside him to be nearer. "If you don't talk to me, then I'm going down to the sheriff's office and asking Zelena."

At hearing Zelena's name, Rumpel's head shot up and his eyes opened to look at Belle beside him. "You stay away from her!"

"If my husband won't tell me what is wrong, then I will go and find out why he's put his walls back up?" She said, moving her hand from his back to touch his face.

Her touch burned against his cheek, warming him. "Please, don't go near her."

"Rumpel, I can't help if you don't let me." Belle beseeched, clasping his face between her hands.

"Believe me, you won't understand." He told her, turning his face out of her hold. The warmth he felt fleeted away and the coldness of the darkness returned.

Belle frowned at him and then grabbed his chin roughly with her hand, turning his head to look at her. "I won't unless you tell me." She told him. "You have to let me in, Rumpel. Don't let her knock you down. You've been so courageous the last two years, being here for me and Gideon. Don't ruin it, please."

"You don't want to know what she did to me!" He swatted her hand away, his emotions getting the better of him.

"Tell me!" She yelled at him and grabbed hold of his arm to shake him.

Rumpel snatched his arm out of her hold and shifted on the bed to face her, his leg folded in front of him, holding onto her by her upper arms. "You want to know do you? You want to hear, how she made me do things to people? How she commanded me to do things against my will? How she made me do things to her? Commanded me to kiss her? And not just kiss her! Oh, no, dearie, no! She commanded that I kiss her in the way I would kiss my true love, the way I would kiss you!" He shouted at her. "Do you want to hear the rest, do you?"

During his burst of anger, he shook Belle by her arms, not to hurt her but to make sure she stayed put. He did not want to lose her once she knew. Knew that her Rumpel was weak and not the man she hoped. He was breathless as he watched her, watched the tears fall down her cheeks. There was sadness in her eyes. Rumpel did not want to see that and closed his eyes, his shoulders slumped making his hands fall from her arms. He waited for her to run.

A silence fell over them for a few minutes. Her warm touch to his face startled Rumpel. He opened his eyes to look at her as his hand pressed against the back of her hand that was touching his face.

"You should have told me." Belle said quietly to him. "It does not matter if I understand or not. I am here for you. I love you more than anything."

"It's my burden, not yours." He told her as he turned his face into her hand, closing his eyes at the touch.

Her other hand came up to touch the other side of his face. "You need to have more faith in me, Rumpel. I am here for you no matter what. We made the promise to rely on the strength of our love. Don't waver from it now."

"I don't want to ruin your happiness." Rumpel confessed, a tear escaping down his cheek.

Belle pulled at his face, making him open his eyes to look at her. "You are my happiness, you idiot!"

"Pfft!" He rolled his eyes at her, not believing her words.

"You have brought so much to my life." She stared at him intently, holding his gaze, and it scared him to see the honesty in her eyes. "I had nothing till you came into my life. I would have been married to Gaston and been miserable." Belle paused to take a deep breath to calm herself. "Yes, we have gone about things in the wrong way and things have happened between us, but we are stronger for them. And, you are so much braver now. You've allowed people to get close to you."

He tried to look away but she refused to let his face out of her hold, as she continued. "Lilly thinks of you as a father now. You take great care of her and Gideon, and you will of this one when they arrive." Belle said to him and nodded to her stomach. "So, I need you to stay with me. Don't go back to the darkness."

Rumpel wiped at his tears as Belle's fingers threaded into his hair to the back of his head, encouraging him to lean towards her. Embracing each other into a hug, the tenderness of her caused Rumpel to break out into more tears, a wave of emotion overwhelming him. No one had ever been there for him. He should have known better that Belle would not be like the rest. She had become a main part of his foundation, a source of power that he drew on to be stronger. A power he found overruled his dark power.

"Now," She whispered into his ear, her breath warm against his ear. "You're going to shower and change. Then you're going to pack for your camping trip."

"I don't…" Belle shushed him. "You're going to spend the weekend with your son, because you always put his happiness first. Then, you're going to come home to me and we're going to pick some baby names."

Rumpel nodded his head into the crook of her neck. "Okay."


	5. Chapter 5

After the pick me up Belle had given him, Rumpel stood next to their bed with a backpack on the bed, stuffing clothing into it. He was going prepared, taking pairs of everything. You never knew when to expect the unexpected, like falling into a stream or getting covered head to toe in mud. Nothing that would give Rumpel any thrill if it happened to himself. Now, if it was to happen to Hook…

He zipped up the bag and bent over to check the laces on his boots. The boots were still stiff as he walked, due to the fact he had only worn them a couple of times when they had been at their cabin. It had been a few months since they had visited the cabin and taken walks in the woods. Belle had wanted to remain nearer to town in case something happened. Worried that another pregnancy was going be robbed from her. Rumpel could not blame her for that, he was just as worried as she was, especially as this was going to be the first time he had witnessed a lover go through all the stages of pregnancy.

In a dark corner of his mind, it still troubled him that he had never been able to be there for Milah when she was pregnant. Not that he would have known what to do at the time and probably run off at the first sign of trouble. With Belle, it was different. It was always different when it came to her. This time around, he had been to every doctors and hospital appointment. He had held her hand and gazed lovingly at her when they had first seen their baby on the monitor. He had sat with her when she was restless, soothing her aching back and feet. Let her shout at him and never retaliated, even if she had shouted at him for leaving his dirty towel on the floor of the bathroom. This was their pregnancy.

Smiling at the thought of their child, Rumpel lugged the backpack onto shoulder and left their bedroom to traipse down the stairs. He stepped off the last step to see Belle washing up the breakfast dishes, gazing out of the window. Rumpel carefully dropped his bag to the floor by the counter and ambled over to her.

Belle was unaware of him. She had not heard him due to the earphones from Lilly's iPod in her ears. It had become her new thing to listen to music whilst doing things or reading her books. Rumpel took the moment to lean against the kitchen island behind him, observing his beautiful pregnant wife in front of him, her hips swaying in time to the music. He was so lucky to have her in his life. Imagining life without her was something he could not do. Rumpel just wished she had been in his life from the start, making him the man he was today back then.

Pushing off the island, he stepped closer to her, keeping a small distance between them. Delicately he traced his fingers along her forearms to her wet hands. Her body pressed back against him as his fingers laced into her hands and drew her arms around herself, pulling her further against himself. Rumpel brushed his lips over her neck and smiled knowingly against her skin as she moaned at the pleasure.

"You're evil, Rumpel." She said with her fingers tightening on his.

He tugged one of the earpieces out of her ear with his teeth and then whispered into her ear. "I love you so much it hurts."

Rumpel hung onto her when she became heavy in his arms, her knees weakening underneath her. She turned her face to look at him. Seizing the moment, Rumpel kissed her softly on her cheek and rested his chin onto her shoulder.

"Gideon will be here soon." She told him, looking back out the window. "Try and have a good time."

"I'd rather stay here with you." He said with his voice muffed by her shoulder.

"You'll be back before you know it." Belle managed to free one of her hands from his and reached up to touched his face. He turned his face and kissed her neck before releasing her, only to turn her to face him. She pulled the other earpiece out of her ear and dropped it to the counter as he turned her.

"What exactly is stopping me from going out there with them and just teleporting back here?" Rumpel asked with a cheeky grin.

"Nothing. But you're going to be a good boy." She instructed him, her hand gently stroking his face.

He raised an eyebrow. "But, Mrs Gold, you only bring the naughty side out of me."

"That's even more reason to on this trip with the boys, keep you away from me!" Belle laughed at him.

"But I can't help myself! You're so addictive!" Rumpel lowered his lips to her ear. "I'll have to pay you a visit tonight and get my fix."

Belle was smiling at him when he lent back and said to him. "As long as you bring peanut butter and mint ice cream."

"Eh?" The confusion was evident on his face.

"I've been fancying it all morning." She confessed to him.

"Okay." Rumpel said unsurely. They heard the front door open and voices came into the house before the door shut again. He did not care who it was, he held onto Belle as long as he could, straining to look over his shoulder to see Lilly, Gideon and Henry come into the kitchen from the hallway.

"Where have you been?" Gideon asked with a hint of worry in his voice, his hand gesturing towards his parents. "We've been looking everywhere."

Rumpel smiled thinking fondly of the memory of Belle and him in her bed, when Gideon had confronted them about their whereabouts, as Gideon could not find them at the Charming's party. "I've been here with your mother. You couldn't have looked everywhere, Gideon."

Belle giggled into Rumpel chest, probably remembering the same memory, as Gideon spoke with his finger pointed at Rumpel. "Don't you try and be clever with me."

"I'm not trying, son. I just am." Rumpel chuckled and relaxed his arms around Belle, letting them rest on her hips. Lilly and Henry both began to laugh at the exchange. In that moment, Rumpel knew that all his thoughts he had pondered over last night were fruitless. The happiness he had at that very instant was enough to show him it was worth living his life.

"I give up." Gideon muttered, throwing his hands up in exasperation at his father.

Henry shook his head and then stilled his head, pointing at his grandfather. "Hey, Grandpa doesn't know, does he?"

"Know what, Henry?" Rumpel asked, slumping back onto the kitchen island behind him, Belle followed with him to lean against him with her hands on his chest.

"After you left, Hook decided he was going to try your technique." Henry emphasised the word technique with his fingers in the air.

"Technique?" Belle asked with a frowned, looking at Rumpel.

"Err…" Rumpel's eyes went wide. He had assumed Gideon had already filled her in on the evening's events.

Henry smiled at Belle. "Yeah, Grandpa was showing us his technique with the ladies."

Hesitantly, Rumpel risked a glance to Belle through the corner of his eye. Her blue eyes were staring at him. "Did he now?"

"He was way better than Hook!" Henry exclaimed whilst missing the pointed look Belle was giving Rumpel. "So, anyway, Hook went over to these girls and was trying Grandpa's conversation technique. He got turned down!"

Rumpel's smile was wide, hurting his cheeks, as he thought of the look on Hook's face when the women had refused to give him their number. Hook was everything that women had wanted back in the Enchanted Forest. He was good looking, charming and witty. Whereas Rumpel was the opposite. He would admit that he was not bad to look at, but he had been far from charming and witty. As he had told the boys, conversation had always been his strongest weapon against a woman. In this realm, Rumpel was the victor with the women.

"So, let me get this right." Belle held his chin between her thumb and forefinger and turned his face to look at her. "You, the one who didn't want to go out last night, was chatting up women at the bar?"

Rumpel licked his lips nervously before he spoke. "I… It… It was just a simple deal. I didn't go over there because I wanted to."

"It's my fault." Henry tried to come to Rumpel's rescue. "I had been talking to Hook about picking up girls."

"I don't know which is worse. The fact that you were chatting up a woman and getting her hopes up that she would ever have – my – handsome husband. Or, that you guys were using them as objects to satisfy your deal." She said, looking from Rumpel to the other two men in the kitchen.

"Hey!" Rumpel looked to the clock in the kitchen. "Look at the time! Gideon, if we don't leave we'll be walking through the woods in the dark to get to our campsite." He said as he gave Belle a kiss on the cheek and squeezed passed her, grabbing his bag by the counter as they vacated the house.

Lilly laughed at the three men leaving, as Belle said. "See you guys tomorrow!"


	6. Chapter 6

The fire crackled and illuminated their small campsite. It was late and they were all sitting around drinking the beer that Charming had brought with him. They had even let Henry have his first beer, telling him if he was going to be camping with the men then he had to have a man's drink. Rumpel had rolled his eyes at the scene and drank from his beer, and thought how he would rather be at home. Now things had settled down and they had the campsite set up, Rumpel sat in one of the camping chairs Gideon had brought, gazing up at the stars above him.

"Hook," Charming shoved Hook beside him on the log. "When are you finally going to set a date for the wedding? You and Emma have been engaged quite a while now."

Hook shrugged his shoulders. "I've left that to Emma to decide. It's better if she does things in her own time. I don't want her running off."

"Or driving off." Rumpel added, still looking at the stars above them.

"Or that." Hook said, waving his hook in Rumpel's direction.

Henry was writing in his notebook. "She's not going to run. She's happy now. Her family is here."

"You probably need to nudge her a little." Gideon said before sipping from his bottle of beer. "Look how long it took my mother to get my father."

Rumpel frowned and looked over to his son in the other camp chair. "What does that mean?"

"You know exactly what I mean. She had to drag you kicking and screaming out of your shell." Gideon explained to his father.

Rumpel turned his gaze from Gideon to the fire. He knew his son was probably right, but he did not want that fact to content for idle gossip. His reputation over the years had started to lose its weight. People were now coming into his shop and buying things. They would greet him in the street and tried to stop him to have a conversation about how things were going and how Belle was. It was foreign territory to him. He was used to people shunning him and treating him like nothing.

"Maybe I should have a talk with her when we return tomorrow." Hook said, but it sounded like he was talking to himself.

"I know Snow is dying to get started on planning your wedding." Charming told Hook before swigging his beer. "She has this book under our bed where she has ideas of what to do."

"Is this where we have a big carriage through town and a church full of snow blossoms, with little birdies holding Emma's trail?" Rumpel questioned, smirking at the thought.

"Hey! That's not a bad idea. Remind me to tell Snow." Charming's eyes widen at Rumpel's idea and pointed his beer towards Rumpel.

"Oh, no." Rumpel muttered as he covered his face with his hand, shaking his head at the thought of the Charmings doing his idea. There was chorus of laughter in the campsite. Gideon's hand tapped Rumpel on his shoulder, making the older man drop his hand from his face to look at his son. He smiled seeing his son's face lit up, a similar look that Belle had when she was laughing. They had only been apart for an evening so far and he was already missing her.

Unconsciously Rumpel rubbed at his chest over his heart, a small painful flutter from his heart had started in his chest. Thinking it was the beer, he put the beer down on the ground beside his chair, leaving it for a bit to let his stomach settle as he decided it must be heartburn. The others began to joke about other ideas for the wedding, but Rumpel was not listening. The pain in his chest was beginning to become uncomfortable, making him press his hand into his chest. It was moving. The pain was expanding.

He groaned at the pain and leant forward in his chair, Gideon was immediately at his father's side with his hand on his shoulder as he asked. "What's wrong?"

"Zelena must be here." Rumpel managed to get out, breathless at the pain.

The group began looking around the area, standing up from their seats, as Charming said. "She was in custody when we left town. Emma wasn't going to release her till tomorrow."

"She must have escaped." Henry said, dropping his notebook and pen to the ground at his feet.

"Can I help?" Gideon asked his father, leaning over to look at his father's face.

"No." Rumpel whispered, blinking at the pain that was moving up his spine.

"I would have thought she would have made her presence known by now. She can't help but take credit." Hook said, moving to get a better look at the woods behind Gideon and Rumpel.

Charming moved over to Rumpel and Gideon and knelt beside Rumpel. "Are you sure, it must be Zelena?"

"I have no idea." Rumpel clutched at his jumper. "It just hurts." Someone's phone started to ring distantly. Everyone dug into their pockets and bags to pull out their phones. Gideon's phone was the one ringing, becoming louder when he drew it out of his pocket.

As he flipped opened the phone to answer it, Rumpel grasped at Gideon's hand and whispered. "Belle!"

"Hello." Gideon answered whilst he frowned at his father. "What!" The others came closer, trying to listen to the one sided conversation. "Right, okay. We're coming." He hung up his phone and said to the group. "We need to get back to town. My mother is in labour."

"What!" Rumpel exclaimed sitting up in his chair, forgetting about the pain.

"It's okay." Gideon tried to soothe his father. "She's already at the hospital. Dr Whale is looking after her."

Rumpel grumbled as he stood. "That man can't even look after himself. He especially can't look after my Belle!"

"Okay, Henry put the fire out. Hook help me pack up the camp." Charming began to give out orders, but as he turned to speak to Rumpel and Gideon, Rumpel waved his hand and disappeared from the campsite.

Reappearing, Rumpel stood in front of the doors to the hospital with his hand absently rubbing over his heart. He took a deep breath and entered the hospital, the doors opening to allow him entrance. There were several people running around, nurses and doctors coming and going. As he neared the foyer, Rumpel noticed Emma and Regina stood talking near the elevator and stairs. Regina was the first to spot him and quickly guided Emma over to him with a hand on her arm.

"Rumpel!" Regina called as the two crossed the foyer.

"Where is she?" Rumpel's voice was deep.

"It's okay. Dr Whale is attending to her as we speak." Emma reached a hand out to touch him but retracted it when he glared at her approaching hand.

"Where is she!" He growled as his hand at his side tightened into a fist and his hand over his chest rubbed harder at the pain.

Regina was braver and stepped in front of him, her hands grabbing him by his shoulders. "Listen to me, Rumpel. She's in a bad way. Let them deal with her, they know what they're doing."

"Take your hands off me!" He snapped at her, the threat in his voice made her jump and drop her hands. "If you don't tell me where my Belle is, I'm going to lose it!" The throbbing in his chest began to subside. The two women looked at each other, not knowing what to do. Over their shoulders, he saw Dr Whale come around the corner distantly down the corridor.

Rumpel pushed through the two women, uncaring if he knocked them over, and strode purposefully at Dr Whale. "Whale!"

Dr Whale's face looked shocked seeing Rumpel storming towards him. "Rumpelstiltskin."

"Where's my wife!" He said to the shell-shocked man. Passing some people that had been chatting in the corridor, Rumpel got a better look at Dr Whale, the front of his scrubs covered in bright red blood. A lot of blood. He lost momentum and slowed to a shuffle at the sight of the blood, his temper and panic making way for his worry.

Rumpel slumped against the corridor wall. "No. Please, no."

Dr Whale followed Rumpel's gaze and saw the blood on himself. Quickly crossing to Rumpel, the doctor grabbed the other man by his shoulders as he spoke to him. "It's okay, Rumpel. She's stable and resting. It was hit and miss for a second with Belle. But, she's stable. We stopped the bleeding."

"Belle." Rumpel muttered to himself, holding his face in his hands to hide the tears.

"They're taking her to a private room. As soon as they get her settled, I'll get someone to come and get you." Dr Whale told Rumpel and then said. "You could go and see your daughter."

Another pair of hands touched Rumpel's back, as he dropped his hands to gaze at Dr Whale. "My daughter?"

"Yes." Dr Whale smiled and squeezed Rumpel's shoulders. "She's already up at the baby unit."

"I'll take him." Regina said to Dr Whale, guiding Rumpel away from the wall and Dr Whale. He let Regina lead him, putting one foot in foot of the other. He had been out laughing and having a good time with their family while his Belle had been lying on a hospital bed fighting for her life. His hand rubbed over his face, trying to get rid of the guilt as another wave of tears fell. In one evening, his whole world had nearly ended and he had not been there.

Rumpel wiped at his face with the sleeve of his jumper, trying to reinstate his mask to hide his feelings. It did not work as he closed his eyes and more tears escaped. Angry with himself for being so weak and not being there for Belle, he struck out at the wall beside him, abruptly causing Regina to come to halt as he punched the wall repeatedly.

"Whoa!" Regina tried to grab hold of him again. "Stop it!" Rumpel punched the wall even harder at her request. The plasterboard began to crack and stained it with three faint dots of blood. Another hit and another set of red dots appeared on the wall. He hit the wall a few more times, the blooded dots became brighter and heavier.

She grabbed his hands and clung them to her chest, standing between him and the innocent wall. "STOP!"

"WHY!" He yelled at her, shaking her to release her hold, and pounded her against the wall. "WHY THE HELL SHOULD I!"

"Because Belle and your daughter need you." She said quietly to him. Her words undid him. They broke him and tore down his remaining walls of protection. Rumpel sunk down onto his knees in the middle of the corridor and gave Regina no choice but to follow him down onto the floor. He shook as he openly cried in front of her. She swallowed hard and drew him into a hug, unsure what to do with her oldest friend.


	7. Chapter 7

After some time spent on the floor with Regina, rocking away his torment, she had managed to drag him back up onto his feet and had taken him to the window to see his daughter. Rumpel leant heavily against the large window, spying over babies in their plastic tubs on the other side. The only one that drew his attention was the plastic tub that was to one side, a nurse hovering nearby, tending to the small baby. He could see that they had monitors and tubes attached to his baby girl, looking so small in her tub compared to the others in the room.

He let a heavy sigh out and shifted on his feet, trying to get closer to the glass to get a better look, as a hand laid onto his back. Turning his head reluctantly from the window, he briefly smiled and then teared up quickly at the sight of Gideon beside him. Rumpel grabbed at his son and hugged him tightly, fighting to hold back the tears as he clung to the closest thing he had to Belle. They still had not been to get him. It felt like it was taking eternity to get her settled into her room.

Gideon clutched at his father as he said. "I'm so sorry."

"You haven't got anything to be sorry about, son." Rumpel whispered into his son's ear, his fingers digging into his son.

Another hand touched Rumpel's shoulder. Dragging himself from his son, he looked over his son's arm to see Lilly beside him, her eyes watering with more tears. Her cheeks showed signs that she had already been crying.

"I'm so sorry, Rumpel." She managed to say before bursting out crying.

He pulled her into their hug, burrowing himself into their comfort, and said to her. "It's okay."

Lilly lifted her head from his chest to look at him as she spoke. "It's my fault. I suggest we go out for the night. Belle had said that she didn't feel right, but I persuaded her anyway. We were in Grannies and then Zelena had come in." At hearing Zelena's name, Rumpel's grip on them tightened, bunching their clothing into his fists. "She came over and started on Belle."

"What do you mean started on my mother? Physically?" Gideon questioned, his eyebrows hunched over his eyes as his own darkness grew inside of him.

"No, not physically." Lilly shook her head at Gideon's questions, her eyes never wavering from Rumpel. "She was winding Belle up. Telling her what happened at the club. Describing Rumpel talking to that women."

"But she already knew." Rumpel added, scrunching his eyebrows down.

"Yes, so when Belle didn't seem bother by that. Zelena started to go on about how she had gotten you to do things." Lilly said and paused to look deep into Rumpel's eyes. "Things she had made you do to her. Describing how you had kissed her neck and forced her onto the kitchen table and had sex with her on it."

"What!" Rumpel pushed them away, his anger flaring. "I never had sex with her! Never!"

Lilly grabbed Rumpel's hands. "It's okay. Belle said that. But that didn't stop Belle losing her temper and giving Zelena what for."

"Lilly." Gideon urged, his arm moved around her shoulders to give her confidence. "Tell us."

Nodding her head, Lilly continued. "She told Zelena how she was just jealous that Rumpel had chosen her and that he had never been interested in her. Zelena was about to say something, but Belle shouted at her that Zelena was just jealous because there was no man in Storybrooke that would come near her and that she ought to skulk off back to her farm house and leave you two alone."

"And?" Rumpel mumbled at her, his hands tightening around Lilly's.

"Zelena left after that." Lilly said. "After she sat back down, she said she didn't feel right and then she was screaming. Belle was in so much pain. I didn't know what to do, but Grannie sorted it out. She called the ambulance and kept Belle calm."

Stroking his hand down the side of Lilly's face, Rumpel tried to smile at her. "You did your best, Lilly. At least you were with her. I am so grateful that you were with her."

"I didn't do anything! The only thing I did was put Belle in the position to be stressed out by Zelena. It's all my fault!" Lilly bowed her head after she spoke, her tears falling to the floor.

"Oh, sweetie." Rumpel swept her up into her hug, his hand stroking the back of her head. "I could not have asked more of you. It could have happened no matter where you were."

Gideon rubbed his hand over Lilly's back. "Babe, it not your fault."

"Rumpel." Someone called to him.

Peering pass Gideon when he stepped aside, there was a nurse standing near the now open doorway to the baby room. "Would you like to come and meet your daughter?"

He nodded his head eagerly at the nurse and unwrapped himself from Lilly to walk pass the two of them to the nurse that waited for him. She gestured for him to follow him into the small room and closed the door behind him, locking them into the room.

"You need to put on a gown and wash your hands here." The nurse indicated towards the gowns that were hanging up and the sink near the door that entered the baby room. He did not respond. Rumpel simply followed her instructions and grabbed a gown off the hook, putting it on before washing his hands. She waited by the door, ready to open it whilst he was drying his hands. He threw the paper towel away and stood waiting patiently, a small feeling of butterflies in his stomach.

"Don't be alarmed by the monitors and tubes. She's holding her own at the moment. She's a fighter." The nurse told him as she opened the door.

Rumpel was surprised when he chuckled, saying to the nurse. "She's like her mother already."

The room was quiet apart from the odd sound from the babies that lay in the plastic tubs. Rumpel's attention was held by the tub that contained their daughter. He was aware that Lilly and Gideon were watching him through the window as he neared his daughter. Tilting his head to one side to see her at a better angle, he stopped beside her tub and looked down at her. 'She's so beautiful' he thought to himself.

Rumpel crouched to bring himself closer to her, watching her over the edge of the plastic tub. She had wires connected to her, disappearing under her blanket, and a tube that went up her tiny noise. His brow scrunched as he watched her, disbelieving that something so precious had a part of his darkness in it. Rumpel's children were such amazements, all of them so strong, far from the coward of their father.

"You can touch her." The nurse said to him. Rumpel briefly looked to the nurse for clarification and received a nod from the woman. Slowly reaching his finger out, he lightly touched the back of his daughter's hand, her skin was so smooth and warm against his finger. The warmth of touching her reminded him of Belle.

Rumpel gasped when the small hand grabbed at his finger, her little fingers holding onto his large finger. He froze in case he hurt her and held his breath, watching her delicate little frame take control of him, just like her mother did. A small smile crept over his face, but it did not stop the tears cascading down his cheeks as he watched his innocent daughter.

"Rumpel." Someone called to him but he ignored them, hypnotised by his daughter. He was fascinated by the grip she had on his finger, her tiny fingers pressing on his large finger. In that moment, he knew that he was in trouble. Not only did her mother have him under her thumb, but he also knew that his daughter had him around her little finger. He would do anything for her.

A squeeze at his shoulder pulled him away from his daughter, making him look up to see Dr Whale. "You can see Belle now."

Rumpel nodded his head at the doctor and stood to tower over his daughter. He silently refused to pull his finger from her grip. But he knew as much as he was desperate to stay there with her, he was dying inside to see Belle. Carefully prying his finger from her grip, Rumpel smiled at his daughter and bent down to place a very gentle kiss on her forehead. He stroke her forehead where he had kissed her and then unwillingly left.

Following Dr Whale through the door, he removed the gown to leave in the entryway to the baby room and then tailed Dr Whale back into the main corridor where Gideon and Lilly were waited. Dr Whale was keeping a pace and Rumpel trailed after him, shrugging at Gideon and Lilly as they left them behind. He stayed close behind Dr Whale and climbed the stairs to the next floor, nearly bumping into Dr Whale when they reached the next landing.

Walking down the corridor, Dr Whale stopped in front of a door and held his hand on the doorknob. "She probably won't make any sense if she wakes up. We've given her something to keep her calm and drowsy."

"Okay." Rumpel responded and then reached for Dr Whale's hand as the other man went to push the door open. "Thank you."

Rumpel took Dr Whale aback, making the other man pause. "It's my job."

"Thank you anyway. You don't know how much this means to me." Rumpel affirmed and then pushed the door out of the other man's grasp.

Entering the room, the only sound in the room was the bleeping coming from the monitor beside Belle's bed. She lay in the bed so still it scared Rumpel. Belle was always so lively, even when she was ill it was hard to keep her bed ridden so she could rest. She was always so strong, but she looked so weak and small in the hospital bed.

Rumpel shifted awkwardly towards the chair beside Belle's bedside and sat down into the plastic chair. The colour was gone from her cheeks. They were always so rosy. She was always so full of life. He scraped the chair closer to her bed and reached for her hand that lay beside her. Her skin was cool to his touch. It pained him not to feel her usual warmth. Clasping her hand in his, he held her hand towards his face and kissed the back of her hand. She was so still. There was no flicker on her face that she felt it. He felt so alone in her room.


	8. Chapter 8

The blinds did a poor job of keeping the sunlight out of her room. Slowly the light from outside moved across her still form in the bed and over their joined hands. He held her hand tightly between his face and hand, his eyes constantly watching her face. Waiting for her to wake up left him with an empty feeling, not knowing was driving him mad.

Rumpel heard the door behind him open and turned to see Gideon creeping into the room, a cup of tea in his hand. His smile was weak as he closed the door and shuffled over to his father, holding the tea towards him. Leaning back off the bed, still holding Belle's hand, Rumpel took the tea from his son with a nod of thanks. He sipped the hot tea cautiously as Gideon moved around the bed to sit on the other side to take hold of Belle's hand.

"She's got a bit more colour in her cheeks." Gideon commented with his thumb stroking the back of Belle's hand.

Rumpel put his tea on the unit beside him. "Yeah, it's slowly coming back."

"Still hasn't woken up?" His son asked with a quick glance from his mother to his father.

"No."

Gideon's head bowed. "Can't we just wake her up?"

"No, son. It's better to let her wake naturally and your mother would not appreciate us using magic on her." Rumpel leaned his elbows onto the edge of the bed, placing her hand back against his cheek.

"Have you been up to see the baby again?" Gideon asked raising his head to look at his father.

"Gideon, have you come in here just to keep asking me questions?" Rumpel's frustration and short temper got the better of him. "I am not interested. I just want to sit here until your mother wakes up. I know your sister is fine, I can feel it."

Gideon frowned. "Feel?"

"I can feel you and your sister, because of the magic you both have and that you're both a part of me." He told his son, tilting his head against Belle's hand to look at their son.

"Is that why you were in pain last night? Because you felt something was wrong with my sister?" His son pondered.

Rumpel ingested his questions as he laced his fingers into Belle's, shifting the position of his face against her hand. "Maybe. But, I think the small bit of magic your mother had in her from your sister, was allowing me to feel her."

"So, you were feeling her pain?" Gideon asked his father. A heavy sigh escaped Rumpel, wondering when his son was going to stop with the questions. He knew why he was doing it. It was another trait he had annoyingly inherited from Belle, asking questions when they were worried. Normally it would have been a nice reminder of Belle, but all it did was encourage Rumpel's annoyance to grow.

"Could have been. I'll never know." Rumpel said as he reached for his tea. "It's not like I've heard of such things before. But then, the Dark One has never had a family before."

Sipping at his tea, Rumpel sat back into the chair, returning to watch over Belle. Gideon had gone quiet as he looked through the blinds to outside, his hand holding his mother's at her side. Rumpel was thankful for the return of silence. The voices in his head were thankfully being quiet, his darkness knowing not to push him. He just wanted everything to stop, so he could be there for her.

There was a faint knock at the door. Rumpel rolled his eyes, turning to see Lilly poke her head around the edge of the door. Seeing it was only her, Rumpel turned back to Belle and drank some more of his tea. He heard the door shut and saw Lilly come to stand beside him out of the corner of his eye, her hand rested on his shoulder.

"Emma wants to see you outside." Lilly informed him.

"Tough." Rumpel muttered.

She squeezed his shoulder, which made him look up at her. "She really wants to talk to you."

Growling as he stood, Rumpel lent over the bed and kissed Belle's lips. He paused over her in hope that her eyes would flicker open, but he knew true love's kiss would not work. Rumpel shook his head at his stupid thought and stepped pass Lilly to yank the door open to Belle's room. As he stepped out into the well-lit corridor, the Charmings huddled together greeted Rumpel.

He shut the door behind him and obtained there attention. "Right, dearies. What do you want?"

"Rumpel, I need to apologise." Emma took a step towards him and touched his arm. "I thought it would be harmless to release Zelena last night. I'm so sorry this happened."

"Wait a second," Rumpel moved closer to her, his brow pressed down over his eyes. "You have called me from my wife's bedside to burden me with your own self-pity. You have some nerve, Emma."

"I'm sorry, Rumpel." She stammered at him, seeing coldness in his eyes.

He grinned evilly at her. "Dearie, I don't give a damn. Everyone is too busy thinking of themselves and telling me how sorry they are. I'll tell you what, you can take your apologies and shove them. This could have happened any time, you stupid girl."

"Whoa." Charming pushed Rumpel back from Emma, coming to stand between them. "You can't talk to her like that."

"Really, dearie?" Rumpel pursued his lips and shrugged his eyebrows at Charming. "And what are you going to do about it?"

"This isn't what Belle would want." Snow said as she came to stand besides Charming, holding onto his arm.

Rumpel chuckled and stepped forward towards Snow. "Do not tell me what my wife would want."

"Rumpel!" At hearing Lilly's voice, Rumpel turned to see her in the doorway to Belle's room. "She's awake." Forgetting everything else, Rumpel ran back into Belle's room and quickly sat back in the chair beside Belle's bedside.

Her eyes were not quite open but she was gazing at Gideon as she quietly spoke to him. "It's okay."

"Belle!" Rumpel clasped at Belle's hand.

Belle turned her head slightly to look at him and then a small smile crept over her mouth. "Hey."

"What are you trying to do to me, sweetheart?" He asked wiping a tear away, all the hostility Rumpel felt outside was gone at hearing her voice.

"Keeping you on your toes." She said with her hand squeezing his. He closed his eyes and leaned heavily against her hand, thankful that he had not lost her. He could not bear to lose her and have all his foundation crumble from underneath him. Even though, Rumpel would have had Gideon and their daughter, nothing would ever measure up to the strength that Belle gave him. The courage she gave him to stand out of the darkness and into the light. The thought of being pulled back into the darkness, deeper into it than before, had scared him.

They were all chatting to Belle. Rumpel remained silent, praying to whoever his thanks.

"Excuse me, everyone." Dr Whale called from the doorway. "If I could have a moment alone with Belle, I want to examine her and then you all can come back in."

Rumpel opened his eyes to watch Dr Whale move further into the room, stopping at the foot of Belle's bed. Gideon stood off the bed and lent over his mother to kiss her cheek, and then shuffled his way out of the room. Regarding Belle for a second, Rumpel stood keeping hold of her hand and lent over her to brush the back of his fingers down her cheek. She tried to smile at the touch, it was weak but it made Rumpel smile.

"Love you." He told her before leaning down to kiss her lips. Rumpel felt her kissing him back, filling his heart with joy as he lent back to gaze at her. "I'll be right outside."

"Okay, Rumpel. I love you too."

Unwillingly Rumpel slipped pass the chair and left the room with his gaze staying on Belle whilst he looked over his shoulder at her. She was listening to Dr Whale, who was moving to stand in the spot Rumpel had vacated. As he stood beside Lilly in the corridor, Rumpel held a hand over his heart feeling some of the weight lift.

Turning to look at Lilly, Rumpel touched her shoulder. "Hey, can you go to the house and get her some things? Get some books and a couple of her nighties, and whatever else you can think of."

"Okay," Lilly nodded her head at him. "I'll take Gideon with me and I'll grab you a change of clothes as well."

"No, don't worry about me." He said, touched that she was thinking of him.

"Alright." She smiled at him before leaning up to him to kiss his cheek and then walked pass him to grab Gideon's arm, dragging his son down the corridor as she spoke to him. Rumpel leant back against the wall, letting his head rest back against the wall to gaze at the ceiling above him. A lot had happened in the space of twelve hours. It was the first time in a long time that he actually felt like he could go to sleep.


	9. Chapter 9

A moment had turned into an hour since Dr Whale had ushered them all of the room, nurses coming and going from the room with various things. Rumpel had paced the corridor, his head snapping in the direction of the door every time it opened, hoping to be allowed back into the room. After about half an hour, he decided to go up and visit his daughter, if they were not going to let him back in with his wife. So that was where he was, sat on a chair near his daughter's plastic tub, holding her in his arms after the nurse had carefully put her.

Rumpel could not get over how small she was compared to how big Baelfire had been. It surprised him how much growing she would have done in the next eight weeks, if she had not come so early. He gently rubbed his thumb against her cheek, observing her sleeping form in his arms. So many memories of holding Baelfire as a baby kept coming to mind, reminding him of how much work they had in front of them. It was only now that he realised how much, he regretted not having the same memories about Gideon. He had been glad before that he had not had to do the late night feeds and put up with the tantrums. With his daughter in his arms, he wished he could go back and stop Belle sending Gideon away.

The door to the baby room opened causing Rumpel to look up, surprised to see Belle being pushed into the room in a wheelchair. He smiled at her as an orderly pushed her over to them, her face lighting up at the sight of their daughter. Belle was reaching for her daughter even before the orderly had gotten her over to where Rumpel sat. Allowing his gaze to fall down to their child, Rumpel watched as Belle gently stroked the top of their daughter's head, whispering sweet nothings before she kissed the top of her head.

"You're so tiny." Belle whispered.

Rumpel contently sighed at them, as he said. "You're both so beautiful."

Her eyes twinkled at Rumpel as Belle looked up at him. "Flattery will get you everywhere, Mr Gold."

Smiling Rumpel leaned over to her and captured her lips, sweetly but firmly kissing her. Her hand touched the side of his face, keeping him still as they kissed. Their kiss naturally ended but they did not move away from one another, instead they rested their foreheads against one another. Rumpel was glad for closeness.

"Got any ideas then?" She said her voice quiet.

"Ideas for what?" Rumpel asked, his gaze returning to their daughter in his arms.

Belle giggled at him. "Names for this one."

"Oh!" He paused to think and then said. "Annabelle." Belle raised her eyebrows at the name, pondering over it as she stroked her thumb over their daughter's forehead. Rumpel did not say anymore, leaving Belle to decide, he was just happy to have them both there with him.

Belle shifted in her wheelchair. "Do you think maybe I could get a hold of her?"

"Sorry, Belle. I didn't think." Rumpel was suddenly alarmed, embarrassed he had not offered sooner. "Excuse me." He said to the nurse that was floating around the babies. "Can you…?"

"Course." The young woman came over swiftly, carefully taking the baby from Rumpel to lay into Belle's arms.

Belle thanked the nurse with a nod as she spoke to their daughter. "Hello, Annabelle."

Rumpel's smile was broad whilst he put his arm around Belle's back, moving the chair closer to be nearer to them. Belle was chatting away to Annabelle, telling her about her big brothers. So enthralled by the scene before him, Rumpel sat and watched, and loved every moment. He did not want anything to break it.


End file.
